Online Dating Tips for the New Year: 5 Trends to Look For

Moving into 2019, online dating continues to evolve. And as new trends emerge each year, it’s important to stay on top of them so you know you’re using your dating apps in a way that will help you actually meet someone. With the new year right around the corner, let’s take a look at five emerging trends in online dating that you should be paying attention to.

1. The pace has quickened.Attention spans are shorter than ever these days and when it comes to messaging potential dates on a dating app, this is definitely true. The days of sending endless emails to an online stranger over the course of several weeks are long gone.

If you want to avoid losing a potential match, it’s important to keep up with the pace of the modern online dater. Make sure your messages are engaging, but as a general rule, try to transition to a phone number or a date within five days of initiating contact. After all, you don’t want to talk forever.

2. More people are using professional profile writers.For some people, writing an online dating profile is easy. For others, not so much. This is why more and more people are turning to professional profile writers for help. And why not? When you want assistance achieving optimal results at the gym, you hire a personal trainer. For many people, online dating is the same way.

A professional that does his or her job properly will be able to highlight your best qualities in ways that engage other daters, without sacrificing who you are at your core. If you decide to go this route, just make sure you do plenty of research. Unfortunately, some writers will put you in a worse position than before you hired them!

3. More people are using professional photographers.Over the past year I’ve noticed that online daters are hiring professional photographers with increasing frequency too. From my perspective, this is almost always a worthwhile investment.

While hiring a pro isn’t necessary, it certainly doesn’t hurt. If you do decide to follow this trend, make sure it doesn’t look like you’re taking pictures for a LinkedIn page. The key is to look natural and just have fun. It also helps to have a few amateur photos as well so that others can gain a glimpse into what your “real” life looks like.

4. Most people skip the phone call.With each year that passes, this trend continues to grow stronger. Especially with younger daters.

In the age of texting and smart phones, most people don’t want to go through the hassle of hopping on a phone call before every date. For the most part, people are too exhausted from the daily grind of life and just want to meet, see if there’s chemistry, and move on if there isn’t.

5. Dates are getting more generic.As the frequency of dates increases among the average online dater, the dates have trended towards the less creative side. The majority of people arranging dates settle for a quick cup of coffee or drinks at a bar.

While this can be a great way to get to know someone and isn’t always a bad idea, the trend also provides you with an easy opportunity to stand out if you’re really interested in someone. A tiny bit of creativity can go a long way, and can break up the monotony of the average date.

When it comes to getting to know other people, some things never change. Be polite, don’t try too hard, and always think of the other person. But also keep in mind some of these new tips and adjust to the changing times. You never know, 2019 could be the year you meet someone amazing and it all just clicks.